Tag Archives: Libya

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed steps to establish a demilitarised zone in Libya in a phone call, Al Jazeera said on Thursday. Trump and Erdoğan also discussed possible ways to achieve the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya and emphasised …

France will increase its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, calling on Turkey to halt oil and gas exploration in disputed waters that has heightened tensions with Greece. The French leader voiced concern over “unilateral” exploration by Turkey in a call with Greek Prime …

US-based researcher says the armed group is ‘regrouping’ and remains a ‘persistent’ threat in the oil-rich nation. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) remains a “persistent threat” in Libya and could rise again unless the country’s long-running conflict is brought to an end, a new …

Egypt and Greece on Thursday signed a maritime deal that sets the sea boundary between the two countries and demarcates an exclusive economic zone for oil and gas drilling rights. The deal is a response to a similar agreement between Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based government last year that has spiked …

Libya’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Jalal Saleh Shuwaidi has warned Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi against plans to send troops to assist militias loyal to putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar, saying that the Libyan desert would swallow Egypt if it proceeded. Noting that the Egyptian military has no power to enter another …

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) sent a message to Washington on Sunday calling for international control of land and sea border crossings and ports to prevent weapons from being sent to the capital’s government, Al Arabiya TV channel reported. “The LNA insists on international control over land …

A war of words has escalated between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Libya, where the two states support opposing sides in the African country’s long-running conflict. According to reports, the Emirati minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, has slammed Turkish defense minister for his recent …

The United Arab Emirates minister of state for foreign affairs said on Saturday that Turkey should stop interfering in Arab affairs, criticising comments on Libya made by Turkey’s defence minister. Turkish media had reported the Turkish minister making remarks critical of the UAE’s actions over Libya. The UAE, alongside Egypt …

More than 100 civilians including children were killed by ground fighting, explosive remnants, and air raids in Libya between April and June, according to the United Nations. The figure is an increase of 65 percent from the first three months of the year, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) …

The Libyan armed forces loyal to the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) are waiting for a political solution to enter the city of Sirte “peacefully”. A spokesman for the Sirte and Al-Jafra operation of the Libyan armed forces, Brigadier Abdul Hadi Dara, said the Libyan army wishes to …

Stephanie Williams, the deputy head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya for political affairs, said there is a “huge risk” of direct confrontation between rival foreign powers in Libya, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Williams said the chances of a miscalculation around the rebel-held Mediterranean city of …

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday said that 72 migrants have been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard off the country’s western coast. The UNHCR tweeted that “72 people were brought back to Tripoli Naval Port by Libyan Coast Guard late last night. UNHCR and the …

The United States military has said Russia appears to be sending more military equipment to its mercenaries in Libya, including in the flashpoint city of Sirte, in breach of an arms embargo. The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on Friday there was mounting evidence from satellite photos of Moscow’s …

Turkey warned Egypt against any deployment of forces in the Libyan civil war and sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s role, highlighting the threat of escalating violence and geopolitical rivalries in the oil-rich country. The remarks by Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, come days after Egypt’s …

Libya’s UN-backed parliament in Tripoli has criticized Egypt’s move to send its soldiers to the country. “We completely reject the Egyptian Parliament’s decision based on an illegitimate invitation by those who claim to represent the Libyan tribes under the guise of ‘parliament’,” the parliament of the Government of National Accord …

Seen as nearing a conclusion several times in the last few years, Libya’s long-running civil war looks set to flare up yet again as Turkey-backed forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) zero in on the crucial eastern city of Sirte. “Everything is moving towards a massive escalation …

Egypt’s parliament voted Monday to authorize the president to deploy troops to neighboring Libya if Turkey-backed forces there, allied with the UN-supported government in Tripoli, move to retake the strategic coastal city of Sirte. An Egyptian intervention would put Turkey and Egypt — in possible direct confrontation. The vote was initially …

The Libyan army dispatched several military vehicles Saturday to the west of Sirte province, while the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) said clashes took place at the facilities over the weekend. A large number of military vehicles reached Abugrein as part of Operation Paths to Victory, which was launched to …

Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) on Saturday moved fighters closer to Sirte, a gateway to Libya’s main oil terminals that the GNA says it plans to recapture from the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA). Witnesses and GNA military commanders said a column of about 200 vehicles moved …

Informed sources said that the Egyptian parliament – the House of Representatives – is expected to hold a plenary meeting this week to discuss the political and military situation in neighbouring Libya. The sources said the discussion is to be followed by a vote to mandate President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to …